Abstract: Objective To study the survival time of common pathogenic fungi on hospital materials.Methods Eight strains collected from patients were individually inoculated on five kinds of common hospital materials after activation.The materials were placed into thioglycolate broth every twenty-four hours and the fungus survival time was then recorded.Results Trichophyton rubrum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes could survive on the surface of the cotton cloth,paper plate,iron plate and glass for 25-28 days,and on the rubber for 14-15 days;Cryptococcus neoformans could survive on the cotton cloth,paper plate and iron plate for 24-28 days,and on glass and rubber for 14-18 days;Fusarium solani could survive on all the materials mentioned above for 22-27 days;Microsporum gypseum could survive on the cotton cloth,paper plate,iron plate and glass for 20-27 days,and on the rubber for 8 days;Sporotrichum schenckii could survive on the cotton cloth,paper plate,glass and rubber for 17-24 days,and on the iron plate for 10 days;Candida albicans could survive on the cotton cloth,paper plate,iron plate and rubber for 15-20 days,and on the glass for 4 days;Microsporum canis could survive on the cotton cloth,paper plate,iron plate,glass and rubber for 10,9,3,2,and 1 day respectively.Conclusions The fungi in this study could survive on each kind of hospital material.The survival time is related not only to the species but also to the materials on which they were inoculated.The average survival time of fungi living on scobinate and hydrating materials (such as cotton and paper plate)is longer than that on smooth surface or materials with little hydration (glass,iron plate,and rubber).

Key words: fungus, survival time, material